Ann Arbor Railroad-History Revisited

Sunday, August 7, 2011, Mr. Henry Burger from the Ann Arbor Technical and
Historical Association visited Lake George. He is the webmaster of the
Association as well as a researcher and compiler of most everything associated
with the Ann Arbor Railroad and the Lake George and Muskegon Railroad.

Mr. Marvin Howard, who was born in the Ann Arbor Railroad House, in Lake George, was his host and guide for part of the afternoon.

Considerable information was shared prior to Mr. Burger’s visit by Gary and Nancy (Borst) McKenzie and Ray and Barbara (Petro) Wellman. Both Mrs. McKenzie and Mr. Wellman were born in Lake George. One bit of information pertained to the Borst Family was that of their purchasing the cattle fencing and materials from the Ann Arbor Railroad for the cost of removing them. Cattle was loaded out in Lake George.

Mr. Burger said, “I am particularly interested in returning in the fall to examine the area north of Shingle Lake where the logging railroad may have had a turntable.” Mr.Wellman, on one of his many hunting trips in the area, may have rediscovered this turntable.

The Ann Arbor Railroad trains made regular trips from Toledo, Ohio, to Frankfort, Michigan, for many years. The website address for the Association is: http://www.trainweb.org/annarbor/.

The tour in Lake George clarified the locations of the depots, sidings, water tower, coal tower, and even the location of the logging railroad bed just north of the park on Shingle Lake for Mr. Burger. The collection of the Association includes many maps and other technical data. Mr. Burger provided Mr. Howard with a map showing the Ann Arbor Railroad sites in Clarence and Temple, Michigan.